Girl
by Cellin
Summary: Girl realises she can be loved in a kind and caring way. After being pushed to her physical limits by her abusive parents, Girl finds herself in the majestic lands before Erebor. The King under the mountain provides care for her and Girl struggles to trust those around her; finally the King under the mountain realises you can be hurt not only by those you hate but by those you love
1. Chapter 1

From the outside most houses look pretty harmless, a bit like when you meet someone for the first time and they are kind to you. In reality though, you don't know that person and they could be hiding anything from you. It's the same with houses and this particular house is where our story begins.

You wouldn't see the carpet if it wasn't for the holes, the window is dirty and the walls are covered in stains. This is the home of a girl; now girl means a kind soul who cares and yet suffers still at the hands of others but continues to care. or at least that is what this young girl did. Now girl did not have a name as far as she was aware. She was only acknowledged as 'girl' and that was her name.

Girl didn't speak when she was spoken to; she knew any action would cause her to be punished and so she stopped acting and instead just existed. Her mother was at much at the hands of her father as she was. Both scared of reacting against him, yet girl's mother in this situation began to support girl's father in the hope it would prevent any harm coming to herself. The house they lived in was a common and not too shabby looking. Girl's room was more of a cupboard with a window and she wore clothes that were too big or too small. It was often that she would be stripped of these and be forced to wear nothing for long periods of time. During the colder months, girl was ill and could not open her eyes let alone lift her finger. Unsurprisingly her skin would be more purple than pink during this time causing more illness.

Laughter never occurred in this house and girl did not know what happiness was, she did not know what to feel during this hard times in her life. She couldn't remember what it was like outside of the house, she couldn't remember the last time she felt the morning breeze or the rain slam onto her hair causing her to have the sneezes for a few days after. Now you must understand that even though girl had never felt those feelings for such a long time she would very intelligent.

Her mother took pity on her in the beginning when her father started to force actions out of girl. Being only a child at the time Girl's mother tried to be the protecting mother but this was a useless action to take as she was as scared as her daughter. So she eventually gave up and found that her partner was pleased that she had finally 'seen sense'.

One afternoon after being 'played with' for her father's friend's entertainment girl was stumbling up the stairs and fell to the floor when she reached the door to her room. She saw a book on the floor underneath a sheet that had been thrown in the cupboard. The sheet was filthy and was now unusable she relished this thin sheet for she never had anything to wrap herself in for months now and it was mid-winter.

This book was called the hobbit and had a colourful dust sheet on it. Girl read this book over and over again. She found that she could escape the hard times in this book despite how many times she had read it. Girl loved the story of a prince who had lost everything to a greedy dragon and found his friends who would fight with him and find courage when he needed it most. Girl knew she would never have that chance because she had no friends and her parents wouldn't ever let her leave the house. She had been to school before but she had never made any friends that would notice her leaving. Little did she know her father made sure that she was alone and she wouldn't know any other life.

This sounds like a sad story and I promise it's not. Trust plays a big part in this story and you must trust me as a listener to a storyteller.


	2. Chapter 2

On one particularly bad night Girl found herself in her cupboard again just holding her naked body to herself underneath the dirty sheet. Her father's friends had taken no pity on her and each had their little fun and games with her. Girl felt like an object and she thought that was all she really was; a thing to be played with because no one would love her, or because she was destined to be this way.

Girl was shivering in her cupboard under the sheet and the book that she relished and always found comfort in was still lying in the small hole in the wall where she hid it every night. This book could no longer comfort her and for the first time in many years, Girl cried.

She cried because she was not loved by her parents and she wondered all night if she had done something to offend them. The tears continued to flow and slowly but surely, when Girl was sure she wouldn't be 'needed' again, she began to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

 _The grass before Erebor had grown once again, the king under the mountain was home and the whole kingdom rejoiced at his crowning as the king. His friends smiled, his family loved and the people looked on as ruled with an iron fist over his people. working to protect them and to rid their lands of the enemy. The breeze that swept through the mountain was felt everywhere and together with the people of laketown, the dwarves began a new chapter; a chapter where they paid back their debts and paid gratitude for all the help they received on the course of their trip._

 _All was forgiven with the elves and the king under the mountain offered the jewels the elven king had lost all those years ago. They were accepted to gifted to the one who would make the kingdom complete; this was not yet known but it was assumed that the king would find someone whether they be lover or friend; they would complete the kingdom._

Girl was still shivering during the course of the dream and sometime in the early morning she felt a hand stroking her cheek. Her father would want her, she assumed. When she sat up she found herself not faced with her father but faced with...nothing. There was nothing there but she definitely felt something on her face. As soon as Girl when to move out of the cupboard she felt fabric, all over her and looked on the landing mirror just above the staircase and found that she was wearing clothes, that fit her. They did not look smart or clean but they fit her and that was a novelty that Girl had not yet experienced.

Girl felt something and she couldn't work out what it was. She noticed that the walls seemed to be clean and the floor looked clean as well. There was a strange light coming through the windows and made the house almost blue. This feeling drove Girl to the front door, something she hadn't touched or walked through in years.

The feeling of dread finally vanished and after looking around her, for signs of her father, Girl almost shrugged and walked towards the front door, only for it to vanish completely. Her feet did not move but her surroundings did the work for her and before she knew it she found herself standing in a grassy field between a ruined town and a large mountain with some kind of delicate entrance.

Without a clue in the world at to where she was, Girl pinched herself. **Hard.** It hurt her quite significantly but it wasn't anything she wasn't already used to.

Suddenly after pondering what to do, Girl heard a strange noise; something she hadn't heard before. It was like the noise her feet made when she was too tired to drag herself up the wooden stairs, only faster and much heavier. Fear had over run Girl's body and she fell onto the ground covering her head as she did whenever she was expecting a punishment. She had convinced herself that this must be a dream, she could feel pain but that wasn't anything new so why should this be a dream?

The noise stopped just before her and then she heard two sets of heavy footsteps on the grass, slowly getting closer and closer. This then finally ceased completely before she heard a voice, but not the one she had feared.

"Is she breathing Fee?"

"She's shivering so I'd say so"

"In summer?...I think we should take her to uncle, she looks like a woman to me but considerably smaller."

"Do you mean a girl kee?" _Nothing_ "You plank!"

"I wonder where she's from."

"Hmmm"

Suddenly Girl felt a hand on her arm and furiously dragged herself away from the voices without bothering to look at their faces. Her arms were dragging her legs as she forgot they were tired in the first place. The noise of pain she made as she did so reminded her of the bruises on her body, slightly covered by the ripped, dirty clothing. Unable to force herself away any longer Girl finally forced her eyes upon the voices and found herself face to face with something she had not comprehended before.

Two young men, one blonde, one brown. One with a sword, one with a bow. One on his knees, the other on his feet.

"We pose no harm to you," Said the blonde as he rose to his feet. This was highly intimidating for Girl and she cowered into her arm to shield herself.

Now kili and fili as we all know them were fun loving and yet caring dwarves and this caring personality was something that girl had never seen before and had never been on the receiving end of.

"We can help you get to safety," The brown haired one told Girl, as he returned to his knees. The other soon followed. Girl remained silent and didn't dare speak; she didn't need to expand her growing collection of semi-permanent tattoos all over her body. Girl did not know these people and she had already suffered enough at the hands of the people did she know. Now girl pushed herself and forced herself to speak; only one word and it would be the very first word she had said in nearly 6 years but she did not know how long it had been. However, Girl had forgotten what it felt like to speak; she forgot how her voice sounded.

"Ho...How?," The word crept out of her mouth and this was much more of an achievement for her than the men currently in front of her.

The brown haired man turned and pointed to the delicate entrance to the mountain and spoke softer than he had before.

"See that mountain?" He began. "We live there with our mother and uncle. Our uncle is the king and he will help you. We can feed you and give you some clean clothes. You don't need to be out here shivering in the middle of summer."

Girl was unsure whether to believe this offer of kindness from two strangers to another. She had never encountered anything like this before and she fund that she was still on edge, despite their kindness and gentle nature.

A simple nod was all kili and fili received.


	3. Chapter 3

The entrance to the mountain was much bigger than it looks from Dale. A small bridge guarded by dwarves with spears was enough to cause Girl to stop in her tracks; she had done well so far as she had avoided her chaperone's weapons and not make a fuss. To her surprise the guards did not move; kili and fili never showed any kind of frustration throughout the whole journey when Girl was still apprehensive about the situation she found herself in.

This quality would impress and please their uncle.

Once inside the gate house of the mountain, you find that the dark interior design does not affect the amount light available in the kingdom. Girl was very interested by this but quickly shook away the thought as she still believed there to be some sort of catch to all this, freedom.

After taking off their weapons, the young princes' guided their guest through the hall into the main area for audiences with the king. This vast hall was higher than the tallest trees in Girl's reality. This hall could fit every member of her town, if they organised themselves correctly.

With no one in the hall the brown haired dwarf ran off while the blonde stayed behind to calm Girl. A million thoughts were running through her head and because these men had taken such care of her and had taken her to see their uncle she wondered if she would be 'loved' in the same light as her father.

Suddenly the brown haired dwarf, or man as Girl was calling them in her head, reappeared.

"Uncle will be here any moment," he told her. Girl visibly stiffed as she held her forearms; even more so when the blonde grabbed her forearms holding her hands in place facing him.

"Do not worry our uncle is a kind man," The blonde assured her. "He is the king and a much loved one at that."

This meant nothing to Girl, she knew was a king was but she had no idea who she had met and who their uncle was. Girl pondered for a moment as to whether she had one.

"Ahh uncle," Said the blonde to someone behind her, whilst looking at Girl rather strangely. "We have brought someone for you to meet."

Girl slowly turned around and found the blonde's hand on her shoulder once again, she once again went visibly stiff, but did not shy away from the feeling of another's hand on her skin. Her eyes were met with a slightly older man who had black hair on both his face and his head. Sensing the tension and how uncomfortable the young girl might be feeling, Thorin pursued with caution.

"It is a pleasure to meet you young lady," He said in a rather calming and soft voice. Girl met his eyes and found she was not intimidated by the king. "What brings you to our great kingdom, filled with noisy dwarves?" He chuckled. The Girl suddenly looked around herself and locked eyes with the blonde who still hadn't moved his hand from her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

"Yes," Thorin added. "We are dwarves. Although you look a lot to me like a man's daughter, with significantly less height."

Girl looked again to the blonde and he smiled and squeezed her shoulder offering some support.

"I..." Looking to the blonde again, to which he replied with 'It's alright, take your time.' "I...am"

"A man's daughter?" Thorin asked softly taking a step forward.

"Yes"

"You will find no danger here," He assured the young maiden. "I would like to offer you aid. Will you please allow me to help you?"

A nod was all he received.

"What is your name?"

"I..." _Pause_ "I don't have one"

"Did you father ever name you?" Girl shook her head. "What did he call you?"

"Girl"

"Will you accept the offer of a room and food?"

"Ye...Yes please," Girl replied.

Thorin and the blonde escorted her to her room. She felt very comfortable around them by the end of the conversation and she also received an invitation to dinner. She wasn't sure about joining in a big dinner because she thought she would feel out of place.

Girl was still deciding whether this whole 'dream' was just a rouse by her own mind and she should expect to please the king.

Girl had been left alone for mere minutes and she had been stood in the middle of the room taking it all in. There was a warm fire happily cracking away in a small fireplace; the bed was the biggest bed Girl had ever seen. So big in fact it needed four pillows. Two to hold the top two up. The king and his nephew, she had found out, had left her to clean up and put some clean clothes on. Girl just found herself standing in the middle of the room.

 ** _*Bang*Bang*Bang*Bang*Bang*_**

Shaking, sweating and fear, ran over Girl faster than a running horse could. She had no idea what to expect and found that the intruder was a woman, or female dwarf. The worry was still running its race inside Girl.

"Your Majesty?" The young maid inquired. She had poked her head inside the king's rooms and found him replacing his dirty shirt for a clean on.

"Yes Greta?," The king replied without moving his head.

"The young girl won't let me dress her," This got the king's attention. "She looked like someone had killed her in front of her eyes just before I came in."

"Is she in her room?"

"Thank you Greta, you are dismissed," The king dismissed his servant and went to find the young girl.

On his short walk along the corridors, he wondered as to what would cause a young woman to not want to be touched or not want to talk? Young women should be enjoying life and finding someone they could call husband or best friend. Not shying away from the world.

When the king approached her door, he paused for a moment pondering as to how he would get into the room without frightening her...

"Hello?" He called softly.

The door slowly creaked open almost before the word had finished coming out of his mouth. There she was with her face peeping out of the door. Girl had been pacing around her room and hoped it was the blonde or the king who had come to her. She more at ease around them; although she had only known them for little over an hour and her defences were still up, she didn't feel so much fear around them.

And the king was about to surprise her.

Girl did not allow the door to move any further and the king asked her a simple question but she still lacked the strength to answer.

"Are you alright?" The question came to Girl quite surprisingly; never before had anyone taken an interest in her welfare before.

"Yes"

"Greta told me you didn't want her to help you clean up," Thorin told her softly, stepping into the room. Girl shook her head before closing the door; she turned to face him whilst keeping her head down.

"Where did you come from?" Thorin asked quietly. Girl had been forcing her words out since arriving, wherever she was, and forcing out more seemed to be impossible but the king looked as if he was willing to be patient. He was not as intimidating as her father had previously been and somehow Girl felt different around this king, this King Thorin.

"I don't know," Girl replied without thinking too much. She let out a big sigh and sat down on the bed with her back to the king. "All I know is that I feel different around you."

Thorin was spellbound by this young woman who struggled to speak to him before but now was being so honest it shocked him, as well as herself. "What kind of different?"

"What is it called when you no longer feel scared?...Your majesty?" Girl added. She had forgotten she was currently speaking to a king. Of course a king looked different where she was from but she couldn't remember much.

"Do you feel safe around me?" Thorin asked. He almost jumped with glee when she nodded. Part of him couldn't believe that she had managed to speak to him with such casual tones. He walked around the bed and stood in front of her.

"My father will be angry with me when I go home," Girl whispered. Thorin just about heard this and gently reached for Girl's hand whilst sinking to his knees slowly.

"NO!"

Girl was up and ran from him only to be met with a wall and she cried into it with such force Thorin feared she would break it down with all this upset.

"What may I call you?" Thorin begged, trying to console her. He didn't dare to touch Girl for fear he would make the current situation worse.

"...whatever you wish," Girl replied simply whilst wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"Did your parents give you a name?"

"I was only called by 'Girl'," Girl looked at Thorin with the most defining look without showing any fear. It amazed her that she could look at someone, a stranger too, in the eye without feeling fear.

"Would you like a name?" Thorin continued softly; all the while he was taking small steps towards her without raising his voice or hands and found that it was working and she was still talking.

"I have a name," Girl replied simply.

"Yes...," Thorin trailed off. "But parents give names of meaning to their children so they can become independent. Every dwarf in this mountain has their own loves and hates; a name makes us all different. If I called you Girl; all the paid servant girls from dale would look in my direction or you would be mistaken for a servant girl. I want every dwarf or man, for that matter, to know you are a guest of the king and that we are here to help you. We don't expect anything from you."

"My parents called me Girl...it isn't really a name," Girl began. "Would you give me a name Your Majesty?"

Thorin smiled kindly at the young girl in front of him with watery eyes and motioned for her to sit on the bed beside him. She did so slowly only perching on the edge before Thorin laid his hand on her arm to comfort her; she then proceeded to sit properly on the bed and relaxed completely when Thorin's hand was removed.

"I will give you a name if you call me by mine," Thorin told her.

"What am I supposed to call a King Your Majesty?" Girl asked quietly.

"Call me Thorin," He was quiet and soft with her. "I don't care who is in the room but I want you to feel as comfortable here as possible and that means you should have a friend. That friend can be me. If you feel alone or unsafe or scared, come to me and I will do everything I can to make you safe or comfortable again."

"Thank you" Girl replied; Thorin smiled at her again and gently held her hand in his; relieved when he felt no tension in her hand.

"Cellin"

"I'm sorry?"

"Cellin shall be your name, it means sky or heaven."

"Sky or heaven?"

"I'm going to help you find your heaven, and I hope that it will be here."


End file.
